


Spark

by Paintdripps



Series: Mastering Fire [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Avatar!Eren, Background Markasa, Eren makes terrible decisions, Gen, Humor, M/M, Post-Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Pro-Bending, Rated for Profanity, Romance, firebender!Jean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-04-04 14:37:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4141530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paintdripps/pseuds/Paintdripps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He's seventeen and it's almost midnight on a Friday night, and he's got the thrill of teenage rebellion buzzing in his veins and the taste of sweet mango on his tongue.<br/>And the best part is that he's completely anonymous here. He's not Avatar Eren, training to keep the world in balance and all that shit.<br/>Here, he's just some regular kid."</p><p>Or: A self-indulgent au that was SUPPOSED to just be a one-shot, but I guess I'm doing this now. Avatar Eren can't quite get the hand of firebending, but luckily for him, he runs into the right teacher--a certain cocky pro-bender.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meetings

The nightlife in Republic City is one of its best features, Eren thinks as he takes a sip of his mango smoothie.

Mikasa is probably going to kill him later, once he gets back to Air Temple Island (heck, Erwin's probably going to kill him too, and then Levi, and then Shadis, in that order), but he decides not to dwell on that for now. The Eclipse really does make the best drinks.   
  
So what if he's drinking a smoothie, he's already going to get in trouble for sneaking out; he doesn't need to show up back home drunk to boot.   
  
But yeah, this is nice. He's seventeen and it's almost midnight on a Friday night, and he's got the thrill of teenage rebellion buzzing in his veins and the taste of sweet mango on his tongue.   
  
And the best part is that he's completely anonymous here. He's not Avatar Eren, training to keep the world in balance and all that shit.   
  
Here, he's just some regular kid. He closes his eyes, savoring this peace; it's rare for him to actually get some time to himself without anyone demanding that he get back to training.   
  
Not that he minds training--   
  
Well, okay, maybe he minds firebending training with Shadis, a little bit. Airbending with Levi is okay, even if Levi never holds back with him. And Erwin is relatively nice to him during waterbending practice. But Shadis is a terrible firebending teacher, in Eren's opinion...   
  
...although that's mostly just because Eren sucks ass when it comes to firebending.   
  
It's a sore subject for him, his inadequacy in firebending. Mostly because everyone's always making fun of him for it. Everyone always says that he's certainly got the temper to be a firebending master, but the fact of the matter is that he just. Can't. Do. It.   
  
Suddenly, his mango smoothie doesn't taste quite so sweet anymore.   
  
Someone plops down in the seat next to him. Eren catches a glimpse of two-toned hair out of the corner of his eye.   
  
"Hey," the guy says. "Why the long face?"   
  
Eren turns.   
  
That's rich, coming from this guy. 'Why the long face?' This dude has as long a face as any, except literally instead of figuratively. Eren is reminded of a horstrich. Not necessarily in a bad way. He's not bad-looking. Or maybe that's just because Eren is so sick of Shadis' ugly mug that everyone else looks like a damn prince.  
  
Horstrich Guy looks kind of familiar, actually, although Eren can't quite place where he's seen him before...   
  
Realizing that Horstrich Guy is still waiting for an answer, Eren shrugs and says, "It's been a long day."   
  
Which it has. He's pretty sure there's a new bruise blooming on his back from where Levi rammed him into a tree.   
  
Horstrich Guy chuckles ruefully. "You too, Green-Eyes?"   
  
Eren shrugs again.   
  
"I'm Jean," Horstrich Guy says, sticking out his hand to shake. "And you?"   
  
Jean.   
  
That hair. That face.   
  
Wait. He couldn't possibly be--   
  
"You wouldn't happen to be a pro-bender, would you?" he blurts out.   
  
Jean arches an eyebrow. "Yeah, I am, in fact."   
  
"Holy shit," Eren breathes. Wow. He's talking to an actual pro-bender. A pro-bender on a team that he greatly admires, in fact. "Wow. You play for the Canyon Crawlers!"   
  
Jean looks a little surprised himself. "You... recognized me?" Then he pastes this cocky smirk on his face--there it is, that expression Eren has seen on him many times before, when the Canyon Crawlers have just notched a victory on the board. "I mean, uh, of course you recognize me, since--"   
  
"Ah, man, you guys are my favorite team!" Eren gushes before he can stop himself. "I've been rooting for you all season!"   
  
"Wow, um..." Is he blushing? Yeah, it looks like Jean of the Canyon Crawlers is blushing. _That's kind of cute,_ Eren's mind supplies without permission. "I... thanks?" He clears his throat, looking halfway between embarrassed out of his mind and puffed up with pride. "I didn't catch your name though, uh..."   
  
"Eren," he says quickly. Wow. Way to sound casual.   
  
"Eren, huh?" Jean frowns slightly at that. "That name sounds familiar. Wait, do you play too?"   
  
"Nah, I wish," he says. "My, uh, parents--" Levi and Erwin and Shadis aren't his real family; his parents are still ordinary citizens back in Ba Sing Se, but his mentors are as close to parents as he has. Unless you count Mikasa. She's like a second mom or something. "--don't want me in the ring."   
  
Jean's piercingly amber eyes travel over him, taking him in. Eren is suddenly self-conscious of the traditional airbender garb that Levi insists on him wearing while he trains with him. The clothes fit loose on him, and they're these obnoxious shades of yellow and orange.   
  
He would've preferred the clothes he'd taken with him from his home in the Earth Kingdom, but Levi had confiscated those a while back (probably to burn them, since they were "fucking filthy, you fleabag").   
  
"So your parents won't let you play, or you can't play?" Jean asks.   
  
Eren is confused for a moment until he remembers that airbenders aren't allowed in pro-bending (they really ought to change the rules, but airbenders are all supposed to be sworn to nonaggression. So yeah). Plus, he's decked out in airbender gear, so Jean probably thinks he is one.   
  
"Oh, that's not the issue. I'm actually an earthbender," he says.   
  
"So what's with the--"   
  
"I'm staying at Air Temple Island for a while."   
  
"Ah." He looks a little puzzled, but doesn't question it further.   
  
Jean still hasn't ordered anything, Eren realizes.   
  
"You wanna get something to drink?" Eren asks.   
  
Jean nods. "What did you get? It looks good."   
  
"Oh, uh... a mango smoothie."   
  
"What, are you underage or something, Green-Eyes?"   
  
"No, I just didn't feel like anything alcoholic," Eren says defensively.   
  
Jean rolls his eyes. "Yeah right, and I'm the Avatar."   
  
Eren fiddles with the hem of his shirt. Is his age that obvious?   
  
Jean waves his hand, signaling for a server to come over. A harried-looking waitress scurries over immediately.   
  
"I'll have a cactus juice," he says. She nods, and then she's off again. It's a busy evening for The Eclipse, jam-packed with people.   
  
"What, are you underage too?" Eren asks.   
  
Jean sighs. "Clearly, you've never had a cactus juice from here before."   
  
Eren stiffens. Amazing pro-bender or not, this guy's smug attitude irks him a little.   
  
The waitress is back in a flash, bearing a bottle and a shot glass. As she sets it down in front of Jean, Eren catches a whiff of the strong odor of alcohol.   
  
Okay, so maybe cactus juice isn't just juice.   
  
"You're welcome to try some if you want. But then again, I don't know if a kid like you can handle it," Jean goads.   
  
Eren scowls at him. "Who're you calling kid? If I'm one, then you are too."   
  
"I'm eighteen," Jean says smugly. "So there."   
  
"By the skin of your teeth," Eren retorts. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can handle anything you can handle."   
  
Jean fills the shot glass. The liquid is foggy-looking, but aside from that it's completely colorless. The fumes remind Eren of those from Levi's cleaning supplies. Ugh.   
  
"Be my guest," he says--no, purrs, what the actual fuck--and hands Eren the glass.   
  
"Fine, I will," he spits, and before he can think too much about what he's doing, he takes the glass and downs the whole thing in one go.   
  
Fuck, it burns. It sears and hisses as it goes down his throat. It's like that time Shadis made him swallow hot coals. Tears prick at the corners of his eyes involuntarily. Eren tries to keep his expression blank, but he's pretty sure the facade cracks.   
  
When he looks up, Jean is smirking at him like the smug bastard he is. Eren is now completely over the fact that he loves this guy's team. He's a jerk.   
  
"You didn't have to do it, you know," Jean says. Eren can't tell whether that tinge in his voice is awe or ridicule. Nor does he really care.   
  
Eren is pretty sure that the cactus juice--what the hell, cacti must be the evilest plants on the planet if they make that shit--is currently burning a hole through his stomach lining. He scowls harder at Jean. "But I did it, so I guess I'm not a bratty kid, am I?"   
  
"I never called you bratty."   
  
Right, right. This isn't Shadis, this wasn't a punishment from his mentor--fuck him and his old-fashioned ideas about discipline--and he's not on Air Temple Island, struggling with his firebending training. This is The Eclipse, and this is Jean, a somewhat jerk-y firebending athlete.   
  
Eren just shrugs and takes a sip of his smoothie. His throat still hurts.   
  
Jean takes the glass back, gingerly, like he's afraid it'll explode at any given moment. He pours himself a shot.   
  
"So," he says. It seems Jean is not someone who likes sitting in silence very much. In fact, he seems like the kind who talks just to fill the air with words, because the quiet is too empty for him. "Where are you from?"   
  
"Ba Sing Se," Eren replies.   
  
"Wow. What's it like?" Jean's eyes glint with interest. "I've never been outside of Republic City before," he confesses.   
  
Eren shrugs. "It's a big city. I lived in the outer ring. I guess it was a nice place, but I hated those walls all around it, you know?" Why is he talking about this? Jean probably doesn't care. "That's why I left. I felt trapped all the time. I wanted--" he stops, realizing that he's about to pour his heart out to a semi-dickish stranger. Even if Eren has watched most of his pro-bending matches. He changes the subject with an awkward cough. "A-anyway, how'd you get into pro-bending?"   
  
"My friend asked if I wanted to be on a team with him and I said sure. The end." Jean cracks a smile, a genuine one this time, which Eren returns uncertainly. "I don't have a dramatic origin story like you, sorry."   
  
"I'm not dramatic," Eren protests.   
  
Jean swallows a shot of cactus juice without so much as batting an eye.   
  
"Hey," he says suddenly. "Can I show you a neat trick?"   
  
Eren eyes him warily. "Okay?"   
  
Jean doesn't bother with pouring out another shot this time, just puts the bottle to his mouth and takes a tiny sip.   
  
Then he exhales, blowing out a spray of the sharp-smelling drink, and it ignites in a stream of violet flame.   
  
Eren jerks backward quick enough to avoid getting burned by Jean's purple dragon breath, luckily.   
  
"Warn me a little, next time!" he reprimands.   
  
Jean finishes blowing out his violet flame and grins. "Sorry, but is that cool or what? The cactus juice makes the fire purple!"   
  
Eren grudgingly admits that it was cool, which makes Jean positively glow with pride.   
  
"How do you do that, anyway?" Eren asks. "I never got the hang of the 'breathing fire' trick."   
  
"Well, it helps to be a firebender, for starters," Jean says.   
  
"Yeah, I know. But I'm shit at firebending."   
  
Jean raises an eyebrow. "But you're an earthbender?"   
  
Eren realizes his mistake. "Oh. Yeah. Whoops." He laughs, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Wow, I'm... really out of it. Ah. Yeah. Think I'd better call it a night." Quickly, he drains the last of his smoothie and then gets up to leave.   
  
Jean catches his arm before he does. "Wait. Eren. At least let me give you my number?"   
  
What.   
  
Eren isn't even sure whether or not he's permitted access to the phone, but he says, "Oh, okay," and stands there dumbly with Jean hanging onto his hand.   
  
Jean fishes a pen out of his pocket and scrawls his digits on the back of Eren's hand. It tickles, kind of.   
  
"Call me if you wanna hang out sometime, yeah? It was nice meeting you."   
  
"Yeah, okay," he says, and then he pulls away. 

* * *

It's almost four in the morning by the time he arrives back at Air Temple Island. Hopefully, he'll be able to get a couple hours' sleep before sunrise...  
  
"Eren."   
  
Shit, it's Mikasa. Just as he's about to sneak back into his room, too.   
  
"Where were you, exactly?"   
  
Her voice is as cold as the northern winds, and just as cutting.   
  
Eren swallows. Mikasa is about twenty times more terrifying than usual without sleep.  

“U-um,” he stammers, turning slowly. He cringes. “Hey, Mikarin. I, uh...” 

She stares at him, arms folded over her chest, clearly unimpressed. The weak moonlight throws shadows across her face that make her seem like a creature out of a nightmare (yeah, he _does_ love her to pieces—she’s the closest thing to family he has over here—but the cold fury in her eyes is enough to get the adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream).

“Please don’t tell Levi,” Eren pleads, clasping his hands together in a gesture of desperation.

Her brow furrows, suspicion written plain across her features. “What’s that on your hand?”

Damn it.

 **"** There’s nothing on my hand,” he lies, quickly hiding his hands behind his back. Mikasa frowns harder. “It’s just dark out, that’s all. Anyway, I’m beat, we should really go to sleep—”

“Eren. You didn’t get a tattoo or something, did you?”

He squeaks. “What, a tattoo? No, no, of course not!”

 ****"Show me your hand." Her voice is dangerously frigid, now, so instead of protesting Eren gives up and sticks out his left hand, the one sporting Jean's hastily written phone number on the back.

Mikasa inspects the black ink cautiously. "Is this... somebody's phone number?" She stares at him, her face utterly blank.

"Maybe?"

"Where did you even _go_?"

He hesitates. "...I went to the Eclipse."

"Breathe out."

"What?"

"You heard me. Exhale. I'm going to smell your breath," she says flatly.

Eren resists the urge to whine, _"But Moooooom!"_ and instead does as he is told, blowing air out through his mouth while Mikasa leans forwards and sniffs.

"I wasn't drinking," he says, when she wrinkles her nose. 

"I know," she answers. "But your breath still reeks."

"Hey!"

The corner of her lip quirks upward in the ghost of a smile. 

"Well," she sighs, "as long as you're home safe." 

"Thanks. Can I go to sleep now?"

She glances at the sky. The moon is beginning to creep toward the horizon. 

"Good luck with that," she says. "You realize Shadis is going to wake you up again as soon as the sun rises, right?"

"Yes, but some sleep is better than no sleep."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you snuck out, then."

He sticks his tongue out at her, which earns him a snort in response. 

He pauses. "But, um, you won't tell Levi?"

She smiles then, a real smile, and it gives him an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

"I don't have to," she replies. "Trust me, your firebending lesson's going to be punishment enough by itself today."

"Gee, thanks." 

* * *

Eren's room is small, as are all of the rooms on Air Temple Island. Levi doesn't care much for decoration, either, so the room is minimally furnished and kept utterly pristine. Eren appreciates the cleanliness, but there's something depressing about living somewhere and not having anything to mark it as your own. 

(Eren has gotten numerous death threats in the past to motivate him to keep his quarters tidy, so he does his best.)

With a sigh, he kicks off his shoes and faceplants onto the cool sheets, inhaling the smell of clean linen. 

He lets his too-heavy eyelids droop closed. He doesn't bother undressing, he's too tired...

Eren sinks into sleep as dark and as deep as the depths of the sea.

* * *

 "What's the matter with you, _Avatar_?" Shadis sneers.

Normally, Eren is only addressed as such in formal settings. Like those times that he'd had to sit in on the Republic City council meetings. (Yawn.) It's supposed to be a term of great respect, after all. 

But the way his firebending mentor says it, it's as though the word is the most foul, venomous insult he can spit out. Eren bristles, wondering for perhaps the seven thousandth time who in the world chose this jerk to be his teacher.

"It's very simple,  _Avatar._ You just have to light the leaf aflame." Shadis demonstrates with an expression of utter contempt, holding a dry leaf flat on his palm and then letting it burst into flame. Eren scowls. 

"I  _know_ ," he snaps, exhaustion making his patience thin and temper bitter. 

"Is that so?" His mentor's lip curls in some twisted parody of a smile. Truthfully, that probably  _is_ his actual smile--Eren doesn't think that his stupid, craggy face can manage to express happiness on any higher level. "Then show me." 

Eren huffs and stares at the leaf in his palm, willing it to catch on fire. He strains so hard that black specks start to swim in his vision, and his head pounds to the rhythm of his heartbeat, but...

Nothing. Not even a wisp of smoke. 

"I guess you don't know, then," Shadis says, and Eren  _swears_ that he's going to rip the man's throat out. 

It's been  _weeks_ since he came here to train, and he still hasn't made a centimeter of progress. It's as though the element of fire just refuses to obey him. Eren had picked up all the other elements easily enough--why couldn't he do this one? Levi always says that he has the perfect temperament for a firebender, and yet here he is, unable to produce a single spark of flame. 

 _I could steal all the air from his lungs_ , he thinks to himself, casting his eyes down at the ground so that he doesn't have to see the smug look on his mentor's face.  _I could bury him alive. I could pull all the water out of his body and leave nothing but a shriveled husk behind._

_But I still can't fucking burn a leaf. Pathetic._

"What's the matter,  _Avatar_? You're even more pathetic than usual, today. What, did you stay up all night crying about how you miss home?" 

Eren grits his teeth, and with a deafening  _CRACK!_ the ground splits. It's a tiny fissure, but the web of cracks spreading outward from the original break is impressive. _  
_

Levi will probably kill him for "disrespecting Air Temple ground" or some shit, but Eren doesn't care anymore.

"I'm done," he says, and it comes out in a snarl.

"Oh? Is that it? You're just going to give up?" _Ignore the taunt, Eren._ "Are you going to go run and cry to your sister, then? Or maybe Erwin? Hmm, _Avatar_?" 

"Fuck off," Eren growls, stomping away and relishing how the earth beneath them rumbles with each step he takes. 

* * *

He doesn't want to chance running into Levi--he's going to have hell to pay when Levi sees the training ground--and he knows that neither Mikasa nor Erwin would take his side on a matter like this, so he decides that the only thing to do is leave the island. 

"I'm in trouble anyway," he mutters to himself. "Fuck this." 

Fuck being the Avatar, honestly. Once upon a time, when he'd been thirteen with wide eyes and giant dreams in Ba Sing Se's Shiganshina district, he'd been so excited to find that he wasn't just an earthbender, but an airbender and waterbender as well. Fire, he had believed, would come to him soon enough. 

But being the Avatar just meant practicing bending forms until they were polished and pristine, and Eren slowly grew to hate that. Where was the adventure? Where was the freedom? Would he ever escape the walls? 

And then there was the pressure to live up to the legacies of his past lives. Avatar Aang had ended the Hundred Years' War. Avatar Korra had brought spirits back into the mortal plane and fought the Equalists and Red Lotus, for crying out loud. 

And all Eren had done was fail firebending. 

Failure leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, one that he still hasn't gotten used to swallowing. 

He makes his way down to the shore. The sea is calm today. 

He sets one foot on top of the water, freezing the surface solid. He tests his weight on the ice; it supports him.

He freezes a larger area of water, then balances on the ice floe. 

And with a wave of his arms to move his makeshift raft forward, he's on his way.

* * *

 Being angry by himself is boring, Eren realizes after a little while.

The garish yellows and oranges of his getup are attracting attention, and not the good kind. People are eyeing him suspicously. He does look kind of suspect, after all. A teenager all by his lonesome self, wandering the park with his arms folded and a murderous expression on his face.

But he has no friends in Republic City to call up--he hasn't spent enough time away from Air Temple Island to meet anyone, except...

Jean. 

Well, he could use the company, and hadn't Jean said to call him?

Eren makes a beeline to the park payphone. He rummages around in his pants pocket for a moment before fishing out the proper change.

He puts the tin coin into the slot, then spins the dial as carefully as he can, pausing briefly to ensure that each digit matches up with the ones scrawled on his hand. 

He puts the receiver up to his ear a little shakily and waits. 

Jean picks up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, Jean."

"...who is this?" The firebender sounds sleepy. Eren suspects that he has just woken up, although that's ridiculous. It's almost noon, now. 

"Eren. From the Eclipse." 

"Eren?" There's a rustling on the other end. "Oh, yeah. "Oh, yeah, the one with the pretty eyes." That last part is mumbled. Eren wonders if he was meant to hear that. Probably not, considering that Jean only seems about half-awake and probably has little to no brain-to-mouth filter at the moment. "What's up?"

"Uh... Just wondering if you wanted to... get lunch or something?"

Belatedly, Eren realizes that this sounds a lot like he's overeager and asking for a date. Shit. That's not what he--

"Lunch?" Jean repeats, sounding significantly more alert now. "Yeah, sure. Where?"

"Um, anywhere. Your call." 

Jean hums thoughtfully. "Wanna just come over?"

"I-- what?" Warning bells go off in his head. Jean is pretty much a stranger. He'd only talked to him once before--what if Jean was secretly a deranged murderer, and would try to kill Eren during the visit? 

Eren shakes his head, trying to rid himself of crazy thoughts. After all, he  _is_ the Avatar. He's pretty sure he can take one pro-bender. 

"'s just that I'm kind of hungover," he says with a slight chuckle. "That, and I'm lazy. And kind of broke. But I can cook pretty well?"

"Sounds good," Eren says.

"Great. I live in the apartments on the corner of Roku and Kuruk."

"The ones near the park?" Eren turns in surprise, seeing the red-brick apartment complex rising on the other side of the park. 

"Yeah."

"Cool. I'll see you, then."

"Okay. Bye." Jean hangs up with a click. 

Eren wonders how long he should wait before heading over--after all, it would be kind of creepy to just appear at Jean's doorstep immediately after calling. 

Belatedly, he realizes that he forgot to ask Jean which apartment number is his. 

With a sigh, he starts to trudge over. Might as well get a head start if he's going to be knocking on doors to find the right one. 

* * *

Maybe the world doesn't hate Eren after all, because the fourth door he knocks on is Jean's. 

Jean really does look hungover. There are shadows under his eyes and his hair is messy like he's just rolled out of bed and he's not even wearing a shirt.

"Uh, hi," he stammers, tearing his eyes away from the expanse of fair skin and lean muscle right in front of him. _What the fuck, Eren. Get your life together._ He's hyper aware of the way his mouth goes dry. Spirits, he's such a horny loser. 

Jean blinks owlishly. "Hey." He rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly. "Wasn't expecting you so soon. Sorry. I would've tried to be more presentable, otherwise."

"Nah. It's fine, man." And before Eren can stop himself, he blurts out, "That's a good look on you."

"What, topless?" Jean raises an eyebrow, mouth quirking up in a slight grin. 

"No, hungover. Your hair looks ridiculous." Actually, that's a lie. Jean's bedhead is making him weak. Eren fights the sudden urge to pet his hair. 

"Wow, thanks." Something inside Jean's apartment smells delicious. "You're not a spice wimp, I hope?" 

"Me? No."

"Good." Jean steps out of the way of the doorway, letting Eren come inside. 

Jean's apartment is tiny, and insanely cluttered: a terrible combination. Levi would probably spontaneously combust at the sight of this mess. Eren bites his lip to keep from smiling at the mental image. The floor is pretty much buried beneath a mountain of canisters, bottles, blank canvases, and (presumably) dirty clothes. Every square centimeter of the walls is hidden by some painting; they're all different sizes, and different colors, and Eren can't even say that they all share a central theme, but somehow they all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. There's a rooftop view of Republic City at night; a portrait of a laughing young man with freckles (Eren recognizes him as the Canyon Crawlers' waterbender, Marko); a profile of an elderly woman with her head bowed at a shrine; each of them is beautiful, and boldly colored, and crisp.

They're stunning.  

"Sorry about the mess," Jean says, gesturing at the pile of things on the floor.

Eren shrugs. "I don't mind." And he doesn't. There's something comforting about the chaos. It reminds him of his own room, back home. Back in his real home. Messiness is what marks your living space as your own; to see Jean's mess spread out so thoroughly in what Eren guesses is the living/dining area is reassuring, somehow.

There's a wok with noodles sizzling away on the tiny stove at the far end of the space; the area furthest from the door appears to be the kitchen, if the mini-fridge and sink are any indication. 

Jean grabs a rumpled red shirt from his mountain of doom and tugs it on. Eren decides that red is definitely a good color on Jean. 

"So, you call quickly," Jean says, out of the blue. "Didn't leave me hanging long."

"I needed someone to talk to." 

"I'm flattered." Jean meanders over to the stovetop and gives the noodles a quick stir. "Gimme a sec." He grabs two bowls from the counter--clean white tile, and possibly the only non-cluttered surface in the apartment--and distributes the panful of noodles evenly between them. Eren's mouth waters. 

"That's not a Fire Nation dish," Eren remarks. The noodles are much thicker-looking than any Fire Nation noodle. 

"I was kind of going for an Earth Kingdom dish with a Fire Nation twist," Jean admits. He walks back over to Eren and starts clearing the dining table of an impressively tall stack of books. Eren wonders if he has a specific place in mind for the books, but no. Jean just takes them and adds them to the ever-growing pile on the floor. 

Jean goes back to retrieve the food, pausing to grab two pairs of chopsticks from one of the kitchen drawers. He sets them down on the table with a flourish, and then gestures for Eren to sit. 

They've both barely settled themselves down when Jean says, "You look like complete shit, Green-Eyes." 

Eren only pauses for a moment before replying, "Thanks, I try," and shoving a clump of noodles into his mouth. It's good--the Fire Nation-style seasoning coupled with the Earth Kingdom pan-fried noodles makes his tastebuds dance. 

"That came out wrong," Jean amends. "What I meant to say is, are you okay?" 

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Jean frowns. "Well, it seemed like something was bothering you yesterday, and it seems like something's bothering you today." 

"Very astute," Eren says, still chewing his food. 

Jean waits. He still hasn't touched his food. Eren swallows. 

"So you're not going to tell me what's going on?" Jean asks, brow furrowed. 

Eren considers. Well, so far Jean hasn't tried to attack him or anything, so...

"I'm the Avatar." 

The words spill out of his mouth before he thinks about them, like so many other stupid things he's said. 

Jean stares at him. "Huh." He picks up his chopsticks and grabs some noodles, blowing on them a little bit. "What, did you just find that out or something?"

"No, I--I've known for a few years already." 

"Okay, so what's the problem?" Jean raises his eyebrows. 

Well, Jean is being awfully nonchalant about all of this. Eren relaxes. This is nice, talking to someone who's not super tense all the time. Levi isn't exactly someone you can confide in, and Mikasa has such a motherly vibe to her that sometimes keeps Eren from telling her what's on his mind (making Mikasa worry is the last thing he wants to do). 

"I can't firebend." 

"...And this is a big deal because..?" 

"I'm supposed to be the  _Avatar,_ " Eren emphasizes. "You know, Master of All Four Elements?" 

"But you're fine with the other three?" 

"Well, yeah." 

"Show me," Jean orders, eyes bright. 

While Eren dislikes having to practice forms over and over again, he  _does_ like showing off here and there, so he complies. 

There's water collected in the dirty dishes in Jean's sink, so Eren flicks his wrist in a 'come-hither' motion. The dirty water floats over to him in a bubble. 

"Gross. Put that back," Jean says, snorting. 

Eren pushes it back to the sink and drops it with a splash. 

His bowl is made of clay, he can tell, so he simply raises his hands and levitates the bowl. He spins it around a few times, grinning at the way Jean's eyes widen a little. He lets the bowl down gently, not wanting to risk cracking it.

And as for air...

He snaps his fingers, and a gust of wind hits Jean in the face, effectively startling him.

"Hey!" the firebender protests, but he's grinning too.

"So yeah, I'm the Avatar. Convinced now?" Eren asks.

"Very." 

"Good." 

"Finish your noodles," Jean commands, starting to shovel his own into his mouth as though this is the last meal that he'll ever get. 

Eren obeys, although he asks, "Why?"

"Because." Jean pauses, amber eyes gleaming with excitement. The light in his eyes makes Eren's stomach flutter. "Once you finish, we're heading to the park and I'm going to teach you firebending."

* * *

 

"So I have a theory," Jean says, finishing wrapping his wrists and hands. "You were an earthbender first, right?"

Eren nods, unsure where he's going with this. He wipes at the sweat beading up on his forehead. It's hot outside, now. Judging by the sun's position, it's around one or two o'clock. He's not really sure. Jean doesn't own a clock in his apartment. Eren wonders how he keeps himself on schedule in his day-to-day life. Or maybe he doesn't keep himself on schedule, who knows.  

"Earth is the element of substance," he continues. "So you're used to moving things that are there. Fire, on the other hand, isn't a solid element."

"Water and air aren't solid," Eren points out.

Jean shakes his head. He talks quickly when he's excited, Eren notices. His excitement is palpable. "No, but they're physical elements. They exist. They're here, and you can touch them. Fire's different." Jean snaps his fingers, and a single spark flies up into the air before vanishing. "Fire is just energy. You can't touch it, because it's not there. Fire is an illusion."

Eren says the only logical thing. "What the fuck."

 

Jean nods sagely. "You're thinking like an earthbender. You're used to substance. But what you've got to understand is that you don't _move_ fire. You don't move the heat from the air around or whatever like you do with the other elements. You've got to make it yourself." 

"So... what?"

"Have you done the 'set the leaf on fire' drill before?"

Eren cringes at that.

"Let's not do that, then," Jean decides. He frowns, thinking. His nose crinkles up a little bit when he does that, Eren notices. "Let's try something different. Give me your hand."

"What?" He totally doesn't squeak.

"You heard me, Green-Eyes." Jean holds out his own hand. Eren wipes his sweating palms on his pants as subtly as he can before reaching out to take Jean's hand in his own. If Jean notices his sweatiness, he doesn't comment on it. "I'm going to send my energy through you, and you're going to direct it out through your free hand, okay?"

"...what?" 

"Like waterbending," he clarifies. "Isn't that what waterbending is about? Exchanging energy? Do you guys do that?" 

"Yeah, but not... not like this." Eren waves their intertwined hands in the air for emphasis.

"Yeah, well." Is Jean's face a bit pink, or is that just Eren's imagination? Or is he just getting sunburned? ...That would be awfully ironic, a firebender who gets sunburned. Although, then again, Jean  _is_ awfully fair-complexioned, and--

 _Focus, Eren_. 

He gathers his wits and nods tentatively, feeling entirely unsure about this.

"Okay," Jean says blithely. "On the count of three. One, two, three."

As soon as he says  _three_ , Eren feels a rush of tingling energy travel up his arm, from where Jean's hand is linked in his. The warm sensation flows through the rest of his body. It makes him feel secure, somehow, like being wrapped in a blanket in the winter--

"Eren," Jean says, and his voice sounds a bit strained. "Eren, you have to let go of it." 

Right.

Eren closes his eyes and envisions a pathway opening up and out of his body, through his empty left hand. 

It's not working.

The energy isn't warm and comforting, now. Now it's getting hotter, to the point where it hurts. Something smells like it's burning; a quick glance down at their joined hands shows Eren that there are wisps of smoking drifting upwards from the contact.

Jean's voice is panicked. "Eren,  _let go!_ " 

Something in his mind clicks. All of his breath leaves him in a short exhale, and suddenly there are flames erupting from his fingertips. The heat inside him subsides. Eren feels a bit dizzy; it's like every nerve in his body is supercharged and tingling. 

"I did it," he says, dazed. 

"You did it," Jean agrees. Eren looks up at him. He's grinning, the biggest smile Eren has ever seen on his face in the brief period that he's known him. Jean gives a short laugh. "You're a firebender, Eren." 

"Holy shit." 

"Try it again," Jean says. He releases Eren's hand. There's a pang of disappointment at the feeling, but Eren ignores it. "Without me." 

Eren closes his eyes, remembering how it felt the first time, and sure enough, he conjures up a tiny flame in the palm of his hand. It's as though some door within him has been unlocked. 

"Thank you," he breathes.

Jean's eyes soften. "Hey, no pr--"

And before he's aware of what he's doing, Eren surges forward and presses his lips to Jean's own, still dizzy on the sparks of fire lingering in his system. 

Jean makes a little sound of surprise in the back of his throat, but then he begins to melt into the kiss, and--

"Eren."

Oh, no. 

Why now?

It's Levi's voice, as unamused as ever. Eren all but shoves Jean away in a panic. The firebender stumbles backward, mouth agape. 

Jean's eyes are absolutely  _huge_  with terror. "I-- what, what's going on?"

"L-Levi!" Eren says, whirling around to face his airbending mentor. Levi's arms are folded firmly across his chest, and even though he's a full head shorter than Eren, the glower in his onyx-black eyes is enough to completely cow him. 

Levi scoffs. "I was going to ask exactly what you spent your day doing, but that's a pointless question, isn't it?" His glare shifts to Jean. "Who the fuck are you?"

Jean opens his mouth to answer, but Levi cuts him off. "Wait, no. I've decided I don't give a damn." He grabs Eren by the shirt collar. "You're coming with me. You've got some explaining to do." 

"Fuck, I know," Eren groans. He wonders if now is the time to tell Levi that's he's finally gotten past that firebending block, but a quick glance at the coldly livid expression on the airbending master's face tells him that the answer to that is  _no_. 

Jean looks completely dumbfounded, and Eren can't say he blames him.

As Levi starts to haul him away, Jean calls out, "Hey, call me when you can, okay?"

"Tell your boyfriend I won't be letting you near the phone for at least a week," Levi hisses.

Eren gives Jean an apologetic half-shrug in response. Then it clicks. "He's not my--"

"Save it for someone who cares, Avatar. Like Shadis, for instance. I'm sure he'll be  _thrilled_ to know that you blew off your lesson so you could go around kissing some random Republic City boy all day." 

He's dead. He's so dead. 

 


	2. Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH HEY LOOK AN UPDATE.  
> I was originally planning to make this a collection of one-shots (hence why this had a "complete" status until recently), but then I decided that this would be okay as a multichapter.  
> I'm starting school next week, though, so updates might be few and far between. I've got a lot of plans for this au, so prepare yourself. It starts out light but this'll be a pretty wild ride.

“So tell me, Eren,” Erwin says. “Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

They’re standing on the dock of Air Temple Island, passing an orb of water back and forth, and Eren swings his arms with a little more force than necessary, flinging it at Erwin harder than he’s supposed to.

He’d been hoping that Erwin wouldn’t bring this up, and he’d gotten lucky for the past two days, but it’s day three of Eren being grounded on the island and there’s just no escaping talking to Erwin anymore.

“No,” he says shortly. He doesn’t miss the grin that flickers on his waterbending teacher’s face.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“You seem awfully short-tempered, as of late,” Erwin muses.

“I don’t need another sermon, Erwin.”

“No sermons,” Erwin promises, and instead of returning the sphere of water to Eren, he casts it to the side and lets it fall into the harbor with a splash.

Erwin sits down on the edge of the dock, and pats the planks next to him.

Eren doesn’t want to sit. But he sits down anyway, letting his legs dangle over the edge.

“You know, you can always talk to me,” Erwin tells him. “I’m not old. I’m hip. I’m with the times.”

“No one that I know who’s ‘with the times’ has ever uttered the word ‘hip,’” Eren says.

Erwin laughs. Eren doesn’t.

“Seriously,” the waterbending master says, “I’m here for you. You seem like you need someone to talk to.”

“I have Mikasa.” Eren flicks a stray pebble off of the dock.

“But you’re not talking to Mikasa, either.”

Eren shrugs.

Mikasa is... Mikasa. He loves her, and they’ve grown up together, but words are sometimes just a thing he avoids with her. He’s far more content to practice with her in silence, their motions in tandem. With Mikasa, actions speak a thousand times louder.  

“We’re all worried about you, Eren. You’re not acting like yourself.”

Eren fixes his gaze on the horizon. He can see Republic City from here. So close, yet so far.

Well, Erwin wants an answer, so he’ll just have to give him one.

“I feel like I’m kind of going crazy,” he says. “I don’t like being stuck here.”

He expects Erwin to say something along the lines of “But it’s a fair punishment for sneaking off!” but, surprisingly, his teacher remains silent.

“Also, Levi has supernaturally bad timing, or something,” he mutters.

Erwin chuckles. “So what’s his name?”

Somehow, Eren isn’t surprised that Levi had told Erwin all about how he’d caught him.

Eren squints at him. “How much did Levi tell you?”

“Not much, really,” Erwin says. “Just bare bones.” Erwin wipes his face blank in an impression of Levi’s characteristically stoic face. “‘You’ll never guess where I found our Avatar.’” He switches back to his normal self. “Where?” Back to his (admittedly) accurate impression of Levi. “‘He was sucking some firebender boy’s face off in the park. No finesse, either.’”

Eren buries his face in his hands. “Spirits, he said that?”

“So what’s his name?” Erwin looks entirely too amused for the situation.

Eren scowls and starts to stand up, but Erwin grabs him by the wide sleeve of his yellow airbender garb. “You’re not winning any of us over with an attitude like that, Eren.”

Eren opens his mouth, about to protest that he doesn’t give a damn about winning Erwin over, when Erwin winks at him and he remembers something about prisoners getting time off from their sentences for good behavior.

He settles back down. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he says, deciding that he might as well play along with Erwin. It’s better than being holed up in his room and staring at the ceiling, at any rate.

“Try me.”

“You have to guess,” Eren says, grinning. It’s like he’s a little kid back in his elementary school in Ba Sing Se, making a game out of guessing someone’s crush.

Crush?

He thinks about it for a moment. Well, why the hell not. That’s maybe not quite the right word for it, but close enough.

“That’s hardly fair,” Erwin complains, blue eyes shining with mirth. “I need a clue.”

“He’s got Fire Nation blood.”

“I already knew that!”

“That’s all the clues that you’re getting,” Eren says, and Erwin gives him an affectionate elbow to the ribs.

“Hikaru Aza,” Erwin guesses.

Eren chokes. “You mean that loser from that one drama that Levi likes? No!...also, isn’t he, like, twenty-eight?”

“Your point?”

“Pretty sure that qualifies as pedophilia, Erwin.”

“Hmm. You’re probably right.” Erwin thinks about it. “Mako.”

“...You mean Police Chief Mako?”

“Yes.”

“He’s in his seventies!” Eren has only seen the Republic City Police Chief once before. He was a wizened old man with stern eyebrows and strict posture, who looked as though the last time he’d ever had fun was about four decades ago.

...Not exactly Eren’s type.

“It was worth a shot.” Erwin grins. He is by no means taking this seriously.

And Eren is pretty much okay with that.

* * *

 Afternoon rolls around and finds Eren repairing the cracks he’d left in the ground. Mikasa stands over him, watching his every movement with eyes like a hawk.

“Careful,” she tells him for the umpteenth time, as he frowns in concentration and knits the ground together with tiny gestures.

“I know,” he says.

“You need to control your temper,” she says, and he looks up at her. She stares back at him unwaveringly. He wonders if she has anything more to say, but she says nothing.

“When was the last time you called your parents?”

He thinks about it, and finds that he actually can’t remember.

“Do you ever miss home, Eren?” Mikasa asks, her fingers absentmindedly running over the end of her scarf.

Eren shrugs.

He’d been dying to get out of that city, with its graffitied walls and barred gates. Living in the outer ring was a strange sort of torture, especially when you could catch glimpses of the pristine inner ring through the gates. The contrast was as stark as night and day. He didn’t really miss certain aspects of life in Ba Sing Se—not consistently having hot water, for instance, or even functional plumbing at all, depending on the day—but he did miss his parents a bit.

His father is okay. Harsh on him, and constantly pushing him to be better (Eren remembers hearing the question “Mikasa can do it—why can’t you?”  far too often for his liking), but at the end of the day, his father was always there to ruffle his hair affectionately despite Eren’s protests, and he gave decent advice.

Call him a mama’s boy, but Eren really misses his mother the most, even if she did force him to take Tsungi horn lessons when he was far too small for the massive instrument. She’s the one with the kind smile, always with a story on the tip of her tongue if Eren wants one, and she makes the best damn black sesame dessert soup in the world. (Not that Eren’s biased or anything.)

But he knows what she’s getting at. He shakes his head. “That’s not the reason I’ve been... acting out, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Then why?”

Objectively, he knows that she’s trying to help him, as both his adopted sister and his mentor. But there’s an angry part of him screaming that she wouldn’t understand, and that there’s no point trying to explain.

After all, he’s spoken to her about his firebending block before, and she brushed it off with a nonchalant “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. It just takes time, is all.”

But that’s rich, coming from her. Mikasa, who at the age of nine had been a gifted earthbender. Mikasa, who mastered metalbending, too, at the tender age of eleven. Mikasa, who turned the jerky, rough motions of earthbending into something fluid and beautiful. Mikasa, who never needed time to figure anything out.

He’s bitter about her natural talent in everything, and he knows it, but years of “Mikasa can do it, why can’t you?” have left their mark indeed.

He shrugs again. “Just... cabin fever, I guess. Don’t you ever feel trapped here?”

Mikasa gazes around. “Here?” she echoes.”No, I don’t. There’s no walls. And look—there’s the sea, just like Armin told us about when we were little.”

He doesn’t understand her complacency, sometimes. He supposes that it comes from being struck by tragedy at an early age; you learn to make do with whatever you’ve got.

But he sees the crease in her brow, the maternal expression of worry tugging at her features (she looks just like his mother when she’s worried, Eren could swear), and he knows that he doesn’t make her life any easier with his constant restlessness.

So he sets aside his frustration for now.

“I’m fine, really,” he says. “Look, Erwin talked to me this morning, and it helped a lot. I just... being the Avatar is supposed to be about helping people, isn’t it? I want to be ready for that but I’m not. Not yet. And it’s just frustrating sometimes.”

Her eyes soften. “I know.”

Eren has the sudden wild urge to show her the progress that he’s made—over the past few days, whenever he’s alone, he’s been experimenting with summoning little sparks of flame here and there. He hasn’t had formal firebending practice since the day Levi found him in the park with Jean—Shadis demanded time off from “having to put up with the Avatar’s shit”—and he’s been clutching this secret to his chest the way Armin used to hold his precious books back in the outer ring.

But then he has a wilder idea—to wait, and to practice more, until he has something truly worth showing to impress her with.

He changes the subject to keep himself from blurting out his thoughts. “So, any idea who’s playing tonight?”

“You’re not technically supposed to watch television today,” Mikasa reminds him. He wilts slightly, remembering the strict parameters of his punishment.

“But,” she continues, and he perks up, “I might be watching, and if you happen to wander into the TV room without me noticing... well.”

He gives her a quick hug. “You’re the best, Mikarin.”

She tucks her hair behind her ear. “Just remember, I didn’t tell you any of this, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Just so we’re clear.” She smiles. Her smile is soft; it melts away the stoic hardness to her features. “Also, it’s the Canyon Crawlers versus the Samezuka Sandsharks.”

The Canyon Crawlers?

Like hell he’s missing this game.

* * *

 Eren’s lucky that the couch in the TV room is well-stocked with blankets and pillows. Mikasa helps him construct an inconspicuous hiding spot beneath the abundance of cushions.

Eren peeps through the little hole that they’d left open. “Think this’ll work?”

“If you stay quiet and don’t move.”

That’s difficult. Now that she’s told him not to move, he can feel his entire body tingling with the need to shift around. Fuck.

“Is it time?” he whispers.

“Almost.” Mikasa gets up, presumably to turn the TV on. Eren can hear her muttering to herself as she adjusts the TV antennae. There’s the telltale hiss of static on the screen, but as she plays around with the antenna position, there comes a clearer sound.

Eren recognizes the little jingle: it’s the intro music that Channel 3 always plays before a live pro-bending broadcast.

“Stop wiggling,” Mikasa tells him, returning to her seat on the sofa.

“Sorry. I’m excited.”

The intro plays out. “This broadcast brought to you by Jennamite Tech!” the announcer says, with his trademark corny brightness.   
Eren is struck by a sudden gratitude that the Air Acolytes had invested in a color television. He still remembers the black-and-white one that he had back home; this is so much better.

The camera cuts to in the locker rooms, where an interviewer is talking to a dark-complexioned young man with freckles.

Freckles.

Eren suddenly remembers the painting on Jean’s wall—it’s a dead ringer. This is Marko of the Canyon Crawlers, all right, already dressed in his hunter green pro-bending uniform. The blue sash around his middle marks him as the team’s waterbender.

“—pretty nervous, the Sandsharks are a great team—”  Marko laughs, rubbing at the back of his neck a little shyly.   

He thinks he hears Mikasa sigh. But Mikasa’s not one to swoon over boys, so Eren’s probably mistaken.

He wonders if they’re maybe going to interview Jean, or the team’s earthbender, Connie, but after a few more words with Marko the teams are called up to the platform and the camera cuts back to the arena.

He crushes down his disappointment.

There’s a shuffling sound at the door. Eren holds his breath, praying that it’s not Levi or Shadis, but then Mikasa says, “Hello, Erwin,” and he relaxes.

“Did I miss anything?” Erwin’s voice asks her.

“No, just a quick interview with Marko.”

“A shame,” Erwin says. “I quite like that kid. He’s got great form, and a lot of strength.” Erwin walks around and stops right in front of Eren—Eren can see his legs, they’re blocking his view of the screen—but then Mikasa stops him.

“We’re harboring a fugitive,” Mikasa says flatly.

“Ohhh.” Erwin gets it. “In that case, I’ll sit in the armchair.” And he trots over to the armchair a few paces away.

No one else on Air Temple Island is a big fan of pro-bending, thankfully, so Eren guesses that they’ll basically have the room for themselves. He widens his peephole a little bit, savoring the extra bit of air that flows into his stuffy hiding place.    

The bell dings, and the first round begins. From the get-go, however, it’s clear that the Canyon Crawlers are the better benders. Jean sends forth a volley of fireballs so quick that the opposing team’s waterbender has no chance of dodging, and winds up stumbling into her team’s earthbender. Connie knocks the two of them back a zone with a well-aimed stone disk. Marko, meanwhile, is dodging every one of the Sandshark firebender’s attacks with ease. With a powerful kick, Marko sends a huge blast of water into the firebender’s face. The firebender falls right on his butt.

Eren stifles a snicker.

The Canyon Crawlers get the green light to advance a zone. The Sandsharks try to band together, but all that does is position them so that the Canyon Crawlers can easily knock them into one another.

Eren isn’t sure whether the Sandsharks are just not a good team, or if the Canyon Crawlers are performing even better than usual today.

Maybe it’s because the way that the Canyon Crawlers fight is so unpredictable that the Sandsharks can’t adjust.

Connie’s movements are less like the jerky, grounded movements that earthbenders typically use and more like the fast jabbing motions of a firebender. The way that Marko puts force behind his attacks is more like an earthbender than the turning-your-own-power-against-you methods of a waterbender. And the way that Jean dodges—smoothly, elegantly—calls to mind the motions of a waterbender.

Clearly, these three have learned a lot from each other, and it’s definitely to their advantage.

The Sandshark earthbender manages to get a good hit in. It catches Jean in the left shoulder. He doesn’t fall, doesn’t slide backward, but he immediately ceases his attacks, and from the pained expression on his face, it hit pretty hard.

Connie and Marko cover for him, though. Marko knocks the earthbender back to zone three, and Connie ensures that Jean doesn’t get knocked back a zone by standing in front of him and deflecting the opponents’ attacks with counterattacks.

Erwin whistles. “They’ve got a good rhythm going there.”

It seems Jean has recovered, and his offensive flurry resumes. But Eren notices how he grits his teeth and starts to favor his right arm more—it looks like he’s been injured in the first round.

The Canyon Crawlers send the Sandshark waterbender off the platform and into the water. The buzzer sounds; Round 1 goes to the Canyon Crawlers.

“Have either of you two seen Eren?”

It’s Levi’s voice. Eren stiffens.

“No,” Erwin replies. “Why?”

Levi snorts. “I’ve been looking for the brat everywhere—think he snuck out again?”

“Oh, no,” Mikasa says. “He’s probably somewhere around here.”

Eren wonders what’ll get him into more trouble: revealing himself now, or letting Levi think that he snuck out again.

He decides to just surrender.

“Here I am,” he announces, sitting up and emerging from the mountain of pillows just as Mikasa hisses, “Eren, no!”

Levi pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “Well, at least you didn’t sneak out again.” He raises an eyebrow. “You’re not supposed to be watching TV, you know.”

“I know. Sorry.”

“Then why—” Levi freezes, his eyes fixed on the television. “What the fuck—”

Eren looks at the screen, as do Mikasa and Erwin.

Oh, shit.

“—and it looks like Jean’s shoulder has been hurt pretty badly—”

“It’s that boy,” Levi states, looking dumbfounded.

Erwin’s gaze lands on Eren. “Canyon Crawler Jean?”

Eren swallows. “Wow,” he says, “you finally guessed right.”

Mikasa looks completely lost. “Eren, what are you talking about?”

The TV cuts to commercial break.

“Long story,” he says.

Levi scoffs. “Not that long.”

“No. I guess not.” Oh, boy. This is going to be one awkward story.           

Damn Levi and his sense of timing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on [tumblr](http://www.paintdripps.tumblr.com) so please feel free to talk to me at any time!!  
> Hope you liked this second chapter--let me know what you thought with a comment. Feel anything was ooc? Did you like it? Dislike it? I want to know so I can improve! :)  
> Thanks for reading!!


	3. Practices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Marko and Connie, the other two members of the Canyon Crawlers. Shenanigans ensue.

So here he is again. 

The leaf is resting in his palm, and he’s holding the stance—with his “ back straight, you maggot, ” as Shadis had so kindly reminded him—and trying not to lose his temper. 

Eren wonders whether he should just pretend that he can’t do it, or if he should just light the damn leaf on fire so that they can do something else for once.

“Well, Avatar?” Shadis sneers. “Can you do it, or are we going to stand here all day?”

Wordlessly, Eren opens up the channel in his arms (he’s grown used to the feeling now) and watches the orange leaf burst into flame. 

He’s not sure what he had been expecting from Shadis, but he isn’t surprised in the slightest when he gets a dry response of “Well, well, well. So you aren’t a complete dud after all.” 

“Thank you, Teacher,” Eren spits out between his teeth. It had been one of Shadis’ demands before they began the lesson: Eren would need to refer to him with respect from now on.  

Shadis kneels down and picks up another dead leaf from the ground. He places it firmly in Eren’s palm; his fingers are dry and rough, somehow, like the bark of a weathered oak. “Do it again.”

Eren doesn’t even hesitate. He holds the leaf up between his fingertips and sets it afire, until nothing is left besides gray ash and the smell of smoke in the air. 

“I’m impressed,” his teacher drawls. “So you’ve finally figured out the secret of fire?” 

No thanks to you , he wants to say, but he doesn’t. “Yes, Teacher.” 

“Hmm. Lesson dismissed.” 

Eren looks up in surprise, and Shadis’ lips crack into what could possibly pass for a smile. 

“Unless you would like to continue?” his teacher says, and Eren shakes his head vehemently. “Good. You’ve done well for today. Tomorrow we’ll start something new. Dismissed.” 

Eren isn’t sure whether Shadis is just lazy as hell, or whether he’s actually rewarding Eren for getting past his block, but he doesn’t want to stick around to question it.

* * *

 

Mikasa is waiting for him at the dock. It should frighten him that she knows him well enough to figure out his plans before he figures out his plans himself, but he’s used to it. 

“That was quick,” she says, raising an eyebrow at him. 

She’s dressed in a bright yellow robe, with her scarf draped around her shoulders. Eren blinks. The dandelion yellow color is not one that he had thought she would ever wear, but it suits her somehow. 

“Eren?”

“Huh? Oh. You look nice today.” 

Her face flushes lightly. “Levi told me my normal clothes were getting too worn out.” She holds up an arm and inspects the way the wide sleeve flaps loosely. “I don’t think this color suits me.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Mikarin. You look fine.” 

A breeze flutters past, making the loose robe flap all the more. Mikasa sighs. “How do you stand it?” 

Eren laughs. “I don’t. I hate them. You know, no one in Republic City wears old-fashioned things like us?” 

“Speaking of Republic City,” she interjects, “I’m going with you.” 

“...what?” 

“Erwin and I needled Levi into un-grounding you,” she explains offhandedly. Eren gapes at her, unable to believe that they managed to convince  Levi  to do something. “So you’re going to Republic City to see your boyfriend, right?” 

Eren’s jaw snaps shut with a click. “You know, I was about to give you a hug,” he says, “but then you had to go and say that.” All three of them—Levi, Erwin, and Mikasa—had been pestering him about dating a pro-bender for the past few days. Erwin had been especially persistent in hounding Eren for the juicy details—not that there were any, really, and Erwin knew that. Erwin just liked to be a nosy father sometimes.     

Mikasa just smiles knowingly, and Eren gives her a thank-you hug anyway. 

“Let’s go,” she says. 

“What?”

“You heard me the first time. I’m coming with you.” 

“But Mikasa—” 

“Butts are for sitting,” she tells him, quoting an old saying of her father’s. “One of the conditions for un-grounding you was that someone supervise you when you leave the island. Just be grateful that I’m going and not Erwin.” 

Eren cringes at that thought. “Fair enough.” He looks at her, then back at the water. “How do you want to get across?” 

She blinks owlishly. “How do you normally get across?” 

Ice floe it is, then.

* * *

 

It’s only once Eren is standing in front of Jean’s apartment door that he realizes that they probably should have called first. Maybe Jean isn’t even home. Maybe Jean doesn’t want to see him after Levi interrupted them in the park. Oops.

He raises his fist to knock on the door, but before he can make contact with the wood, the door swings open. 

Eren stops just shy of knocking Jean in the forehead. He lowers his arm awkwardly. “Jean!”

The firebender’s eyes are huge. “Eren!” A grin stretches across his face. “Where have you  been ?” His expression changes and becomes more accusatory. “You didn’t call me.” 

“I, uh... I didn’t really have access to the phone,” he admits.

Mikasa pipes up. “He was grounded. Severely.”

Jean nods solemnly. “That sucks. I remember what it was like to be five.” 

Eren scowls. “I’m only a year away from being an adult!” 

“Chronologically speaking, sure,” Mikasa says. “But mentally? Definitely not.” 

“I hate you.” 

Jean’s eyes are bright with mirth. He fixes his gaze on Mikasa. “I don’t believe we’ve met?” 

“This is my sister Mikasa,” Eren says, just as Mikasa answers, “I’m his babysitter.” 

“That must be quite a job,” Jean replies.

“It is,” she says, and Eren can hear the smile in her voice without having to see it. He scowls harder. 

Jean is dressed in a loose black tank top—spirits, his collar is low; Eren can see the dip of his pecs and it’s honestly quite distracting— and baggy-looking exercise pants. He’s got his knuckles and wrists taped up. 

“Are you going training?” Eren blurts out. 

Jean looks at him, surprised. “Yeah, I am. Wanna come?” 

Just like that. So casually. ‘Wanna come?’ 

“Hell yes,” Eren breathes. An actual Canyon Crawler practice. This is the best day ever. 

“Gym’s not too far, just a few blocks,” Jean tells him. He winks at Mikasa. Gross. “And the lovely lady is welcome to spectate, too.” 

“You’ll have to let her do more than just spectate,” Eren says. “She’s a huge pro-bending fan, and she’s an amazing earthbender, and—”

Jean laughs. “Say no more, Green-Eyes. We’d be glad to let you both practice with us.” 

Mikasa doesn’t say anything, but her eyes are shining. It’s been a long time since she’s gotten to spar with anyone besides Eren, he knows. 

He grins to himself. The Canyon Crawlers don’t stand a chance against her.  

* * *

 

The gym’s windows are dirty and don’t let much light in, and the buzzing lights overhead make Eren’s skin look flat orange. There’s an old, slightly sweaty smell to the gym, but that’s to be expected, he supposes. It’s a gym, after all.

“Here we are,” Jean announces, sweeping his arm wide to indicate their surroundings. “It’s kind of dinky, but it works. Hey, guys.” That last part is because the two other guys in the room—Eren recognizes Marko’s freckles and Connie’s buzzcut instantly—halt their warm-up exercises to look at the newcomers curiously.

“Hey, Jean. Who are these two?” Connie asks, resuming his jumping jacks. 

“This is Eren,” he pats Eren on the head, “and the lovely lady is Mikasa.” 

“Eren,” Connie repeats, looking thoughtful. “Why does that name ring a bell? Hmm... oh, maybe because Jean wouldn’t shut up about you for the past few days at all.” 

“Shut up, Connie!” 

Connie flashes Eren a wide grin. “He’s head over heels for you, man.” 

“It’s true,” Marko chimes in good-naturedly. “I’ve heard a lot about you the past few days. Namely that you have a nice butt. And that he loves your eyes.” 

Eren looks at Jean, trying to keep his expression deadpan when all he really wants to do is grin like an idiot. Luckily, he’s had a lot of practice mimicking Levi. “Amazing. You should write poetry.” 

“Marko’s an ass, don’t listen to him.” Jean’s face is a rather interesting shade of scarlet. He almost rivals Mikasa’s scarf. 

“What is it with you and asses?” Eren jokes. 

Jean gives him a light shove. “Why must you be an ass too?” Eren cackles and shoves him back. 

“You really need to expand your repertoire of insults, Jean.” Marko chuckles. Mikasa hides her smile behind her hand. 

Connie claps his hands. “Come on, enough horsing around. We’ve got work to do, yeah? Dodging drills.” 

“Can we get in on this?” Eren asks. 

Connie considers him. “I’m not quite sure how we’d work two airbenders into the equation, but—”

“I’m an earthbender,” Mikasa corrects him gently. He looks mildly confused for a moment, but shrugs it off.

“And you? Eren?” 

“Whatever you need me to be,” Eren says. Marko and Connie exchange perplexed glances. He looks at Jean. “You didn’t tell them?”

Jean shrugs. “It’s not really my place to blab to everyone about it. I might have a big mouth, but I have  some  discretion.” 

“Don’t tell me he’s the Avatar,” Connie says. 

Eren grins and performs an exaggerated bow. “At your service.” 

“Holy shit, Jean, the Avatar?” Connie all but shouts. His eyes are wide. “This is so cool! I didn’t know the Avatar was living in Republic City!” 

Marko laughs softly. “You’ll have to excuse Connie. He’s pretty obsessed with Avatar history.” In a stage whisper, he adds, “He’s obsessed with Avatar Korra especially.”  

“Can you talk to Avatar Korra?” Connie blurts out, ignoring Marko. 

“I...I’ve never really tried.” Eren rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly. “I haven’t really gotten much spiritual instruction yet. Levi says I’m not prepared for that yet.” 

“Okay. But if you do ever figure out how to talk to your past life, can I meet her?” 

Eren blinks. “Sure?” 

“Wicked.” Connie grins and claps Eren on the back. “Korra was super kickass. Are you?” 

Eren grins back. “That’s up for you to find out.”

* * *

 

Eren opens his eyes slowly. There’s a sharp pain on the right side of his head. He’s lying on wood floor, he can feel it, and there are voices talking loudly. 

Things come into focus. He’s lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling of the gym. He’s still at the gym. He tries to remember exactly how he’d wound up spread-eagled on the floor, but the last few minutes are a total blank. 

“Can you please be quiet?” he mutters, wincing as someone starts to yell. 

“He’s awake.” That voice is Mikasa’s; he would recognize it anywhere. “Jean, stop yelling.” 

So it’s Jean that’s shouting. “—not used to the game, you should have gone easier—”

“It was practice, Jean! We don’t hold back any punches during practice—” That’s Connie, defending himself for some reason.

“He’s awake?” That voice sounds like Marko’s. Jean and Connie shut up immediately. Mikasa murmurs something, and then someone—Mikasa, that’s definitely Mikasa’s hair tickling his face as she lifts him—is helping Eren sit up. 

“Ow, ow, ow,” he mutters, squeezing his eyes shut. His head is pounding. “What the hell—”

“Eren, I’m going to heal you, okay?” Marko says. “But I need your verbal assent.” 

“Why?” 

“Just in case I screw up and you try to sue me.” Eren’s eyes fly open at that. Marko is crouched in front of him, smiling. “Don’t worry, I won’t screw up. I’ve been doing this for years.” Marko places his hand on the side of Eren’s head. The water is cool, and soothes the pain a little bit. “Eren, can you open your eyes?”

Eren complies. Marko winces. “Oh, you’ve got a pretty bad concussion.” 

“How can you tell?” Mikasa asks.

“Pupils,” Eren explains, remembering how his father had given him a lecture once about concussions, since Eren seemed to attract so many. 

“Mm-hmm,” Marko hums. “Eren, do you know what day it is?” 

“Uh... I never know what day it is normally, anyway.” Mikasa snorts at that. “Mikarin can tell you that.” 

“Okay. Do you know where you are?”

“The gym.” 

“What’s the last thing you remember?” 

“Um...” He closes his eyes, concentrating. “Dodging practice. I sent a water blast at you, and then... nothing.” 

Marko chuckles lightly. “Connie hit you in the head with a disk. You’ve got to stay on your toes in this sport, Eren.” 

“Uh.” 

“Is he okay?” It’s Jean, sounding anxious. 

“Don’t worry, he’s not going to die on my watch,” Marko says. He looks over Eren’s head, presumably at Mikasa, who’s supporting him. “Are you guys going to get in trouble because he’s hurt?”

“Levi’s going to kill me till I’m dead,” Eren mumbles. His head doesn’t hurt much anymore. Whatever Marko is doing, it’s working. 

Mikasa says, “Provided that he’s okay to train tomorrow, I think Levi will just laugh at him for being an idiot.” 

“Concussions are serious, though. He needs rest.” 

“Actually, I feel okay,” Eren says, starting to stand up. 

“Eren, I don’t think—”

“Trust me. I’ve had worse,” he insists. Marko awkwardly rises with him, still trying to keep his palm pressed to where Eren was hit, but then gives up and sighs. The water splashes uselessly down on the floor. “I’ve hit my head more times than I can count.” Although, come to think of it, maybe his numerous childhood concussions were what made counting difficult. Huh. Not that he can’t count, okay, it’s just that his attention always wanders and he loses track.  

“That’s the spirit!” Connie cheers. Jean is glaring at him, arms crossed. 

Eren grins at Connie. “You’re going to have to teach me how to throw things that fast. That was awesome.” 

“But of course.” 

Jean stares at him in disbelief. “He just gave you a concussion, and you want to get right back to training?” 

“...yeah? I’ve never been to a pro-bending practice before. This is really fun.” 

Jean shakes his head. “You’re completely insane, Green-Eyes.” 

“Tell me something I don’t know.” 

Connie links arms with Eren. “You and Marko and Mikasa can carry on. I’m going to reveal the secrets of my killer left hook with the Avatar here.” 

As Eren and Connie move to a different corner of the gym, Eren can hear Marko say, “Wow Jean, you’re going to have to step up your game. Connie totally just stole your man.” 

“Shut up, you ass.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last, an update! I've been swamped with school stuff (like the school stuff that I am neglecting right now in favor of uploading this... oops), but hopefully I'll have more time to write in January. 
> 
> I was considering changing the name of this fic because there's another fic called "Spark" in the erejean tag. Thoughts? I'm open to suggestions! 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading :) I'm on [tumblr](http://paintdripps.tumblr.com) if you ever want to chat!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi.  
> Thanks for reading! I've had this idea floating around my brain for the past few months and finally decided to write it out.  
> Providence will be updated soon, don't worry.  
> Anyway, I'm definitely planning on revisiting this au eventually, so we'll get to see more of our angry bending boyfriends in the future.  
> Did you like this? Hate it? I love getting feedback, so comments are great. (They sustain my existence.)
> 
> As always, feel free to swing by my tumblr (url is the same as my username here) and talk! I'm always down for jamming with headcanons :)


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